TJAI NIELSEN, PHD
(Leadership and Management Development, Change Management and Emotional, Cultural and Social Intelligence)
Professor Tjai Nielsen concentrates on conducting impactful research on topics ranging from leadership and work team effectiveness to predictors of international investment, delivering transformational learning experiences to students, and partnering with clients to improve their effectiveness. He is currently Associate Professor of Management at High Point University (HPU), Director of the HPU MBA Program, and an international faculty member at Copenhagen Business School. Prior to joining HPU in 2012, he was Director of Executive Education, Dean’s Research Scholar and Professor of Management at The George Washington University School of Business.
Dr. Nielsen has won multiple teaching awards for his work leading classes at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Prior to his academic career, Professor, Nielsen worked as a management consultant for RHR International, a premier executive consulting firm founded in 1945. In this role he partnered with organizations to assist them with executive selection and development, succession planning, strategic alignment, and team development. Professor. Nielsen has worked with a variety of organizations within the financial services, consumer products, retail, pharmaceutical, and utility industries across more than 20 countries in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and he Middle East. He continues to consult and provide executive education services to several client organizations. Professor Nielsen was invited to join a United Nations Expert Group on Diasporas and Development. He is the recipient of a Best Reviewer Award from the Academy of Management. The majority of his research concentrates on the motivational and behavioural contingencies that impact leadership, team performance, and the dynamics of international investment patterns. Professor Nielsen also integrates a significant background in consulting with his academic work. Prof. Nielsen earned his doctorate in Industrial and Applied Psychology from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), his master’s degree in Education from Western Carolina University, and he holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Virginia Tech. He is a member of the Academy of Management and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, among others.